The Three Kinds

Denny Hatch is the author of six books on marketing and four novels, and is a direct marketing writer, designer and consultant. His latest book is “Write Everything Right!” Visit him at dennyhatch.com.

By Denny Hatch "You can't cheat an honest man. Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump." —W.C. Fields In many American upmarket suburbs there's an unwritten agreement among realtors that homes for sale or rent will not be shown or offered to minority families. This is a form of discrimination called redlining. In point of fact, all successful direct marketing is based on redlining—not offering a product or service to undesirable prospects and customers. Examples: Premium bandits. This is consultant Bob Doscher's term for chiselers who join book and record clubs, or subscribe to magazines, to collect